When Kit Barrus was eight, she began secretly taking books from her local library, reading them in full. She wanted to keep them away from her mother, who would use a black marker to redact pages. 'It was like the censoring of a government document,' Kit told Metro.
Growing Up in a Strict Mormon Household
Kit, now 27, was born into a devout Mormon family in California. Her lineage traces back to Brigham Young, the second president of the LDS church, who had 20 wives and 47 children. Her religion gained mainstream attention through the Hulu series The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, which has a spinoff set in Orange County premiering in 2026. The show documents the lives of Mormon mothers, but Kit's experience was vastly different from what is portrayed on screen.
She attended church for approximately 20 hours a week throughout her childhood, equivalent to a part-time job. Even at a young age, she began questioning the religion and its values. 'I had three hours of church every Sunday, plus 5 a.m. sessions before school, and Young Women's Nights every Wednesday, where pastors enforced strict gender norms,' she said.
Early Rebellion and Baptism Refusal
Kit's first major conflict with her parents over faith occurred when she refused to be baptized at age eight. 'It's supposed to be a choice,' she explained. 'I had never met a kid who didn't want to be baptized, because Mormons believe that without baptism, you cannot enter heaven. But I didn't want to do it. My dad couldn't handle it, saying it would bring shame to our family, so after months of pressure, I gave in.'
Even then, she disliked how women were treated in the LDS church. 'I was angry that girls were considered nothing,' she said. 'I excelled in school with straight A's, I knew I was smart, and I wanted influence, but women cannot hold leadership roles in the church. They can lead other women, but God forbid a woman leads a man. If I was doomed to insignificance in this church, then it wasn't for me.'
Teen Years and Further Disillusionment
Her teenage years included practices she disliked, such as baptisms for the dead. At 12, Kit would go to the temple to be baptized on behalf of deceased individuals. 'If you die unbaptized, a surrogate can do it for you,' she explained. 'Mormons compile names of deceased family members and make teens get baptized for them. They put you in a white jumpsuit, old men place their hands on your head, give a blessing, and dunk you 15 times while saying a prayer. I probably did 50 to 100 of these.'
At 15, she attended Girls Camp, where they sang a song called 'I Love a Mormon Boy.' 'There's a chant at the end: "more men, more men, more men, sing it again,"' she laughed. She also recalled annual 'birthday interviews' with a bishop. 'The head of your congregation pulls you into his office and asks uncomfortable questions. You're a little girl sitting with a 60-year-old man in a closed room asking if you masturbate. It's horrible.'
Family Conflict and Leaving Home
Her relationship with her parents worsened after she discovered porn at 14 and lost her virginity at 15. 'I just wanted to be a normal teenager,' she said. When her parents found out, they pulled her out of school and sent her to Idaho to live with her grandparents after six months of house arrest. She was also banned from taking the sacrament because she had violated the code of conduct. 'These 14-year-old boys hand out blessed bread row by row, and you have to say "I can't have it,"' she sighed.
Living with her grandparents until age 18 was easier, though she had to buy her own food and clothes, working at Taco Bell for £5.28 an hour. Her grandmother threatened to kick her out when she discovered Kit wasn't paying tithing—10% of earnings to the church. After graduating, she moved back to California but left permanently at 19 when her father found an edible and a vibrator in her bedside table. She left at 1 a.m. and never returned.
From Law Firm to OnlyFans
After sofa surfing, Kit found a room for rent and worked at a law firm for five years. She saved enough to enroll in college, working as a personal trainer to fund her dream of a PhD in mathematics. 'I woke up at 4 a.m. to train people, then went to school, but I still struggled to pay bills,' she said. A friend suggested OnlyFans. Hesitant at first, she opened an account in 2022. After earning £7,350 in her first month, she committed to it as a career.
She now makes £244,164 monthly filming partnered sex scenes. The money allowed her to pursue her PhD, but she now works full-time on OnlyFans. She creates humorous role-play content, such as dressing as a dragon having sex with a female knight. 'It's silly but fun,' she said. 'I don't make extreme content, and I credit my Mormon upbringing for that. This industry can push boundaries, but growing up Mormon and having others dictate my values made me independent in deciding what I want to do.'
She added that it's difficult when thousands of men are willing to pay for sexual acts, but she stays true to her convictions. 'I could make £100,000 if I just do one thing, but that's when you sell a part of yourself. I have strength in my convictions after my childhood.'
Rebuilding Family Relationships
Her parents have no knowledge of her online career; they think she works for a tax accountant. The family has worked to rebuild their relationship over the years. 'My parents are on a totally different side of the internet. They only have Mormon friends, and Mormons don't engage with pornography,' she explained. 'But they don't want to lose their kids. We've been through a lot, and my parents have worked on themselves, so we're quite close now. If they find out, I expect they'll need space, but ultimately it will be okay.'
This article was originally published on February 9, 2026.
